Page 49 of Mirror of Vanity

I wanted to say I didn’t care, but my knocking knees told a different story. I wanted to find this object and get us all out of here.

I led the way to the second floor. As I pushed open the creaky wooden door at the top of the stairs, a gust of cool, stale air washed over me, carrying the scent of old parchment, dried ink, and something else. Something darker and more primal. A shiver ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

The second floor was even more dimly lit than the main level, the only illumination coming from a single stained-glass window set high in the far wall. The glass was a deep, rich blue with swirls of shimmering purple and black. In the center of the window was a symbol I didn’t recognize, a complex knot of lines and curves that appeared to twist and change the longer I looked at it.

Dust lay thick on every surface, muffling our footsteps as we moved cautiously into the room. The shelves here were taller, the books older and more ornate. Many were bound in strange materials, not only leather but also what looked like scales, feathers, and even thin sheets of hammered metal.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I noticed other oddities. A skull perched atop a stack of tomes, a series of ancient maps pinned to the walls, a large brass globe that seemed to track the movements of unknown constellations. This place was a treasure trove of esoteric knowledge.

I couldn’t let myself get distracted by the mysteries that surrounded us. We had a mission, a purpose, that brought us to this eerie and unsettling place. Somewhere on this floor, hidden among the dusty shelves and forgotten artifacts, were the statues that would lead us to the next step in our quest.

I inhaled deeply, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart and the prickling of my skin. I was the chosen one, the key to unraveling the Grimoire’s curse. I had to stay focused and brave in the face of the unknown.

“Let’s split up.” My voice sounded unnaturally loud in the hushed stillness of the second floor.

Justice shook his head. “No.”

The look in his eyes said he wasn’t compromising on that declaration.

I didn’t argue. Instead, I tilted my head to move. As we headed deeper into the shadowy recesses of the Archives, I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched, that some unseen presence was tracking our every move. Still, I focused on the task at hand.

The statues were here somewhere. I simply had to find them before whatever lurked in the darkness found us.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Our soft footsteps barely made a sound. I kept looking for three statues, but the farther we hunted through the maze, the more my disappointment grew.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Justice mumbled.

I glanced over my shoulder. He wasn’t looking at me. He was frozen, staring at the stained glass window.

I followed his gaze, and my heart pounded with a sudden rush of excitement and trepidation. The three Fae warriors on the window seemed to glow in the dim light of the second floor, their swords raised and pointing in a single direction as if guiding the way.

The warriors were clad in intricate armor, adorned with swirling patterns and arcane symbols. Their faces were noble and fierce, their eyes blazing with an inner fire. Halos of light gave them an otherworldly, almost divine appearance.

As I stared at the window, a strange sensation washed over me, a tingling that started at the base of my skull and spread down my spine. It was as if the warriors were calling to me, urging me to follow the path they pointed to.

“The three watchers,” Garrick stated in a hushed voice. “They are said to guard the way to the hidden places of the Fae, the realms where the most powerful and dangerous magic is kept.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. If Garrick was right, this window was more than a clue. It was a gateway, a portal to the heart of the mysteries we were trying to unravel.

Where did the warriors’ swords point, and what trials and terrors would we face in following their path?

I glanced at Justice, seeing my excitement and apprehension mirrored in his eyes. We were close now, closer than we’d ever been to understanding Maci’s demonic curse and finding a way to break it.

However, I felt we were also on the cusp of something much larger and more profound, a truth that would change everything we thought we knew about our world and our place in it.

“We need to find where they’re pointing,” I insisted. “That’s where we’ll find the next piece of the puzzle.”

Justice nodded, his grip on Garrick tightening. “Lead the way, chosen one.” A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “We’re right behind you.”

After taking a deep breath, I turned back to the window, studying the direction of the warriors’ swords. Then, with a silent prayer to whatever gods or spirits might be watching, I stepped forward, ready to follow the path of the watchers wherever it might lead.

The dim light through the stained-glass window landed on a large painting of a figure holding a mirror across the room.

“Do you think that’s it?” Justice asked as we approached it.

“Only one way to find out.” I touched the painted mirror. On contact, the surface of the glass rippled like water disturbed by a stone. My heart raced as I watched in awe and fear.

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